M. Water Polo: Post-season awards for Falcons

File Photo: Miguel Garcia (11) earned All-American honors for the second straight season
File Photo: Miguel Garcia (11) earned All-American honors for the second straight season

After a season where the Cerritos College men's water polo team finished in second place in the South Coast Conference and won a Southern California Regional Playoff game, seven players received post-season awards. Heading that list is sophomore Miguel Garcia (Montebello HS), who was named on of three tri-Players of the Year in the conference, while he also earned 1st Team All-American and 1st Team All-Southern California honors for the second season in a row.

Also named 1st Team All-SCC was freshman Marlon Moreno (Virgen del Rosario, Veneuela HS), who earned 2nd Team All-SoCal honors, with freshman Alfredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS), sophomore Randy Baldwin (Buena Park HS/Fullerton College) and freshman Eugene Lee (Hacienda Heights Wilson HS) also being named 1st Team all conference. Receiving 2nd Team honors were sophomores TJ Tijerina (Bell Gardens HS) and Albert Kim (Cerritos HS).

Garcia, who set the school record with 132 goals as a freshman, followed up with 84 goals, which ends his Falcon career with a school record 216 goals. To go along with his goals, Garcia added 43 assists and 42 steals and concluded his career sixth in assists (90) and 10th in steals (82). His 35 field blocks this season are the second most in a season behind his 44 from last year, which gives him a record 79 in his two years. Moreno was second on the team with 47 goals and also added 31 steals and 14 assists.

As for De La Mora, his 282 saves this year were the second most in school history and he also added 54 steals and six assists from his goalkeeper position. Baldwin tied for third on the team with 36 goals with Lee, while he also recorded 19 steals and 17 assists, with Lee contributing 23 steals and 21 assists. His 50 ejections drawn was the fifth most in a season in school history.

Tijerina had 32 goals, 39 assists and 28 steals for Cerritos, with his 73 career assists putting him ninth on the school's all-time list. He also drew 49 ejections, which is the seventh most in a season, with his 77 career ejections ranking him fifth. Kim accounted for 35 goals, 39 assists and 17 steals on the season and finishes 10th in school history with 82 steals.